


Missing Moon

by MissDilemma



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Discussion of Abortion, Fluff, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Abortion, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Mapleblossom - Freeform, Past Mpreg, difficult conversations, little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 21:56:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20589752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissDilemma/pseuds/MissDilemma
Summary: Papyrus notices something very important is suddenly missing. And despite his own concern, he's more concerned about his boyfriend than anything else.





	Missing Moon

Papyrus had always been incredibly soul sensitive. So, when Rus got pregnant, Papyrus immediately knew. There was a second subtle soul pulse to accompany his boyfriend’s familiar, strong, and warm beat. 

Now, Papyrus was also incredibly good at managing boundaries. So, when he did notice his boyfriend was pregnant, he didn’t say anything. It was Rus’s body and maybe he wanted to tell Papyrus himself – and Papyrus certainly couldn’t blame him! Had he been the one impregnated, he would be planning a party with special balloons and baby-sized food. So, as to not disrupt any of his boyfriend’s possible plans or invade his privacy, he kept his mouth shut and just secretly enjoyed the forming souling’s pulse. 

When they slept together and he cuddled up behind him, Pap could feel the two souls in Rus’s body pulse in tandem. When Rus wasn’t wearing a shirt (which was less often than Papyrus liked) he could see the slightest faintest second glow behind his boyfriend’s rib cage. The lights were like Pluto and Charon, two parts of a binary rotational system, one brighter than the other but the second still present and warm.

Gosh, Papyrus was spending too much time with his brother. He didn’t even like the planets. 

But he loved Rus and Rus’s little moon. 

Which was why when Rus came home that night, Papyrus was more than confused by the lack of a second presence. He turned from his place at the stove to see Rus come into the kitchen, putting his keys on the counter. “Hey, flower,” he greeted, giving Papyrus a hug. Pap reluctantly put his arms around Rus. 

Holding his boyfriend in his arms just assured him of the lack of souling. That second beat, that warm, familiar, and yet new pulse, was just GONE. He couldn’t help but stiffen, even as Rus pulled away. Resting his hands on Pap’s collar bones, he kissed him gently on the teeth. 

“What are you makin’?”

“Uh...” It took Papyrus a second to mentally retrieve what he had presently been doing. “Stir-Fry?”

Rus leaned over the pan and took a big whiff. “Smells good. Can I help?”

“Um...” Papyrus was suddenly so incredibly uncomfortable. Where was the faint glow? The pulse? The rhythm? The souling? “I’m actually suddenly not feeling too well. Can you take over for a moment?” Rus stood up straight again, his brows furrowed.

“’Course, flower.” He took the tongs from Papyrus’s hand, their fingers toughing for the briefest moment. 

One soul. One source of magic in an enchanted skeleton that used to emanate two. 

He pulled his hand away noticeably quickly. 

“Thank you, bun. I’ll... I’ll be back shortly.” 

He took off his apron, put it on the counter, and scuttled into the bathroom. He sat on the toilet lid and put his head between his legs. He could smell the food cooking and hear both the hissing and whistling of the vegetables and his boyfriend’s humming. 

Had Papyrus imagined everything? He had been so certain that there had been a souling sharing his boyfriend’s magic. He had been feeling it for days, getting accustomed and hopeful and excited for a party that was apparently never going to happen. He wanted to have imagined it. For his soul sensing abilities to be out of whack and to have imagined the presence. If he had imagined it, then there would be nothing wrong right now. 

But if he hadn’t imagined it, then something horrible must have happened. Perhaps the souling was too weak to sustain itself. Or maybe, despite Rus’s progress since coming to the surface, he didn’t have enough Hope to keep it going. Or maybe-

Papyrus shot up from his seat. Rus... wouldn’t have done that, would he? Not that Papyrus had anything against it, he was just surprised. Why hadn’t Rus told him? Had his boyfriend even considered his feelings? Or was he just too scared to say anything? Papyrus wasn’t sure which truth would be worse: apathy or fear? But if Rus hadn’t bothered to tell him yet, then maybe he didn’t want to tell Papyrus at all. And maybe Papyrus shouldn’t talk to him about it. Since Rus hadn’t been forthcoming, then maybe Pap shouldn’t ask and intrusive questions. Could it even be considered intrusive since the souling was partially his anyway? 

He jumped at the knock on the bathroom door. “Flower? Are you all right in there?”

Papyrus twiddled his fingers. “Um, of course! Th-the Great Papyrus is just making sure his hands are properly clean for dinner. I’ll be out in just a moment.”

He heard Rus walk away from the door, then the subtle sounds of him serving the stir-fry onto plates. 

Papyrus wasn’t going to be able to have a normal conversation while having so much uncertainty and mixed feelings. 

Oh god, how was Rus feeling?! Papyrus was feeling conflicted but he was just a third party! Rus was the host to the souling! And he hadn’t told Papyrus. Had he told anyone? Was he just bottling all of his emotions and trying to keep a calm facade? 

It didn’t matter how Papyrus felt! He needed to be there for his datemate! And subtlety had NEVER been his strong suit!

He kicked open the bathroom door and marched into the living room. He caught Rus standing next to the dining table, the plates and silverware already set and two glasses of water in his hands. His sockets were hide, caught like a deer in headlights, unsure if he should run or keep moving. 

PAPYRUS COULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE EMOTIONAL TURMOIL WITHIN HIS DATEMATE!

He marched over and took the glasses from Rus’s hands and put them on the table before grabbing Rus’s shoulders. 

“Bunny, I love you.”

“Uh... I love you, too?” Rus said, his expression somewhere between a smile and a grimace. “Are... are you okay?”

“I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT VERY SAME QUESTION!”

Rus shrunk at the volume. Right. Pap may be feeling certain intense emotions, but his boyfriend had lots of negative experiences with yelling and his own brother and Papyrus had just sent him right back to that miserable spot. He let go of his boyfriend’s shoulders. 

“I’m... I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Rus regained his posture. “Um, do you... wanna talk about something?”

“Yes! But only if you want to!” Papyrus checked himself one more time. No loud voices. This was going to be stressful enough, he didn’t need to add any extra stress. “Did... I noticed... did anything happen between this morning and right now?”

Rus’s whole body stiffened and his skull paled to a sickly almost yellow. “I went to work, like usual. Why?”

“Just.” How could he possibly ask this?! “This morning you had... a moon?”

Rus furrowed his brow. “A moon?”

“Like Pluto and Charon.”

The color slowly came back to Rus’s face in pure and absolute confusion. “You’ve lost me, flower.” Papyrus wrapped his arms around himself, like he could make himself impenetrable emotional armor around his body WITH his body. 

“This morning... you had a souling.” And all magic left Rus’s face again. “And now, you don’t.”

They just stared at each other for a cold, long, painful moment. “... You noticed?” Papyrus just nodded. “You didn’t say anything.”

Papyrus shrugged. “It was your news to share. I thought maybe you were waiting to tell me at a certain special time. So, I didn’t want to push it and ruin any of your planning.” He rubbed his upper arms. “Was I supposed to say something?” 

Rus shrugged. “You... I don’t know, you could have.” Now Rus retreated into himself, holding his skinny emaciated bones together like a marionette before sitting down – as if he didn’t have the strength to stand anymore. Papyrus could barely get the words he needed to say out. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” He finally asked. 

Rus tightened his grip on himself. “I...” Papyrus could practically see the gears smoking and grinding in his boyfriend’s skull. He was stalled. Papyrus sat down in the chair beside him and scooted forward. He gently took one of Rus’s hands. 

“Sorry for yelling. I promise I won’t get mad.” And he meant that. He was feeling a lot of emotions: confusion, sadness, frustration, betrayal, shock, love. The list was endless. But anger towards his boyfriend was not one of them. Rus took a deep breath and let it out shakily. Papyrus could feel Rus’s entire skeleton quake. 

“I was scared.”

“Of me?”

“... I don’t think so.” Rus wasn’t looking at him. If staring at the grain on the table made it easier for him to talk, then Papyrus could live with that. “I never thought I’d ever... that I’d ever have a souling. That I’d ever had someone to have a souling with.” He huffed out a laugh. “But here you are. And... And I had a souling and...” He could hear Rus choking on every word. He took Rus’s other hand in his and made circles with his thumbs. He wanted to comfort him. He wanted so badly to take Rus and hold him close against his chest. But he didn’t want to make this any more difficult. 

Rus was never one to be open. Ever. Papyrus was amazed they were getting this far. 

“I didn’t want you to leave me.” 

The words hurt Papyrus more than he wanted to admit. 

“Bunny, I would never leave you,” Pap said. Rus took a deep breath, his whole body shaking in nerves and relief. His sockets filled with tears, a single heavy drop falling down his cheek bone. Papyrus raised his hand and wiped the tear away with a thumb. “Especially over something like this.” Rus’s eye sockets lifted to look at him – sockets that were full of fear and uncertainty. “I’d never. I promise.” He cupped his boyfriend’s cheek, stroking his cheekbone with his thumb. “So, you didn’t want me to know.”

Rus nodded. 

“You kept it a secret.”

Another nod. 

“And now the souling is gone?”

Rus nodded a final time, hiccuping out a sob. 

“Oh, bunny.” Papyrus got up and stood beside Rus, who cried and curled against his boyfriend. Papyrus lay his hands on Rus’s shoulders, feeling the tears wrack through him while Rus gripped Papyrus’s clothing like a vice. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

“It’s not!” Rus said, louder than he usually ever spoke, pushing Papyrus back. Pap let him. “It’s not okay! I was scared for nothing and killed a souling for NO REASON!” Rus put his head in his hands, balling his fists in anger. Papyrus wanted to give his boyfriend space, but he couldn’t let him wrestle like this. He put his hands on Rus’s wrists, trying to pull them away from his boyfriend’s face. 

“You didn’t kill anything.”

“I DID! I went to Undyne and had her – made her remove it and DESTROY IT.” Rus yanked his hands away from Papyrus and marched away, his back facing his boyfriend. Papyrus could hear his bones clacking against each other. He slowly walked up to Rus. 

“It was just a souling. It wasn’t a monster. It wasn’t even a full soul, yet.” He hugged him from behind. Rus cried again, from the contact or the comfort Papyrus couldn’t tell. “You weren’t ready. Neither of us were really. Sure, we would have made it work. But we didn’t have to. And now we don’t have to. It’s fine.”

“I-hi-hit’s not fine!” 

“It is.” Papyrus held him ever tighter. “I’m just glad it’s gone on your own accord. I thought maybe you had a miscarriage.” His comfort didn’t even seem to be working. Rus just cried harder and louder. 

“At least then it wouldn’t have been my fault.”

“I’m glad it’s your fault.” Rus whipped his head around, looking at Papyrus with angry shock. “Oh, maybe that came out wrong? I’m glad it was your choice. Had you lost the souling against your will, this would be truly tragic. But you didn’t want it, so everything is fine.” Rus whimpered, glancing away. “Talk to me.”

“What if I did want it?”

Papyrus’s soul hiccupped.

“Did you want it?”

Rus shrugged. “I... I thought you wouldn’t want it so... So I got rid of it.”

“And this is the part where you say but.” Rus clenched his teeth. 

“But, maybe I... it wouldn’t have been the end of the world to... Being a parent isn’t something I DON’T want to do, I guess.”

Papyrus blinked before tucking his head into the crook of Rus’s neck. “... Flower?”

“I thought you did it because you didn’t want to be a parent with me.”

Rus spun in Papyrus’s arms, putting the palms of his hands on his boyfriend’s chest. “If I were to be a parent with anyone, I’d be lucky to do it with you.” He averted his eyes. “I wish I’d have talked to you earlier.”

“Me too.” Papyrus answered honestly. So much grief and trouble and confusion could have been spared. “I... I want you to know you can always talk to me, bunny.” Rus nodded before wrapping his arms around Papyrus, hugging him tight and close. “You know that, right?”

Rus nuzzled against his boyfriend’s chest. “I’m still not used to stuff like this.”

“I know. But you need to know I’m always listening. You don’t have to tell me everything – but you shouldn’t feel like you need to hide anything from me.” 

Rus nodded, squeezing Papyrus tighter. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“But I’m sorry.”

Papyrus brought a hand up to rub his boyfriend’s head. “It’s okay. You’re fine. We’re gonna be fine.” He held Rus until his boyfriend started to release. When he did, they split with joined hands. “And next time, you can just talk to me. You don’t have to make any decision by yourself if you don’t want to.” Rus nodded and came at Papyrus with a final, strong, solid hug. Papyrus kissed his temple. “I love you, bunny.”

“Love you more.”

Papyrus smiled. “While I appreciate that sentiment, you must know it is impossible for anyone to be better at giving love than the great Papyrus. I am so great that I can produce and deliver more love than anyone.”

“Nyeh heh,” Rus actually chuckled, the final tears running down his cheeks, “you forget who you’re speaking to. I am one of the few monsters in the world who can give and receive even more love than the great Papyrus himself.”

Papyrus snickered, separating himself from his boyfriend. He hadn’t expected this, but Rus was actually smiling. “I do not believe a proper competition is even necessary, for the winner is already known.”

“Surely.” Papyrus raised a brow and Rus pulled him in for one final peck on the mouth. 

“And since no competition is necessary, perhaps we ought to eat the delicious food you prepared.”

“The delicious food YOU prepared.”

Papyrus held Rus’s hand. “WE prepared?” Rus couldn’t help but smile as they sat and started to eat. 

All the while keeping their fingers intertwined.

**Author's Note:**

> Think I'm gonna write more MapleBlossom - maybe fluffier next time.


End file.
